SDC urges international action to stop SNA violations in Syria’s Afrin
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) called on Wednesday on the international community to protect civilians in the countryside of Afrin in Northwest Syria, and to stop the violations against them.
In a statement, the SDC condemned the blatant human rights violations committed by Sultan Suleiman Shah Division (al-Amshat), affiliated with the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), against civilians in the village of Kakhra (Yakhour), including arrest, beating, and torture.
The statement noted that the actions contradict the simplest humanitarian principles and international human rights conventions.
The SDC considered the siege and attacks on unarmed civilians as a crime against humanity, calling for their immediate cessation.
The council urged the international community and human rights organizations to fulfill their responsibilities towards these grave violations, to work on lifting the siege, ensuring the safety of civilians, and bringing those responsible for these crimes to just accountability, the statement read in Arabic.
The SDC demanded that all parties adhere to international laws that ensure the protection of civilians and their right to live with dignity and security.
On Sep 15, SNA suppressed a protest in in the village of Kakhre (Yakhour) in the town of Mabata, north of the city of Afrin.
Afrin has been under the occupation of Turkey and the SNA factions since 2018 following a military operation dubbed “Olive Branch” against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of preserving Turkey’s national security.
The operation caused the displacement of about 300,000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 42 villages and five camps in Aleppo northern countryside, locally known as Shahba region, since then.
The al-Amashat faction, predominantly composed of Turkmen, has previously facilitated the entry of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS once known as al-Nusra Front) into Afrin and the surrounding Aleppo countryside.
In August 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated the al-Amshat for committing “serious human rights abuses” against the people of Afrin, mainly the Kurds.